Toy building elements



July 27,1937',A

` w. RE BENJAMIN 2,088,128

TOY BUILDING ELEMENTS I Filed March ll,` 1936 nvenlor Attorney.

Patented July 27, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE 2,088,128 TOYBUILDING ELEMENTS Walter R. Benjamin, Granite City, Ill. l

Application March 11, 1936, Serial No. 68,278

'I'his invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in toy building elements, the

peculiarities of which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

More specifically, this invention relates to improvements in toy building elements comprising hub-like discs or blocks having a central hole, and having holes in the periphery for the insertion of spoke-like rods having split ends, some of said holes being of a larger diameter than other holes so that said blocks may be rotatably mounted on said rods by said larger holes, and the smaller holes be xed on the split ends of said rods by engagement of the split ends of the rods therewith; and an shape of a cup-shaped additional element in the bushing the outer diameter of which lits snugly said larger hole, and the inner diameter of which is substantially that of the smaller holes so that the split end of the rods will t firmly in said firm t in said smaller bushing similar to their holes.

Toys heretofore made and sold under the name Tinker toys have bee n on the market a number of years, but the holes therein have been of uniform size so that the split ends of the rods are iixed when inserted therein. Various means have been employed to provide for the rotation of such parts of the assembled toys which it is desired to turn on the rods, and my present additional element is an improvement by which the blocks may be selectively rotatably mounted, or be iixed in their assembled position, according to the desire of the builder.

Therefore. the main object of my present invention is to provide an additional element which makes said rods and blocks either relatively rotatable and guarded in assembled position, or relatively fixed, according to the desired function of the toy as assembled therefrom. Thus a hub-like block can be rotatably mounted on a rod as on an axle and guarded by my improved element from slipping oil? said axle where it has the function of a Wheel for instance, or by another arrangement of the ele- Fig. 2, a sectional vi 2 2 of Fig. 1;

ew on the vertical plane Fig. 3, a detail view of one form of my bushing element having open ends;

Fig. 4, a side view of said bushing element having one end closed;

Fig. 5, an end view of my bushing element showing' the cylindrical portion swaged to make one diameter larger than the other;

Fig. 6, a horizontal sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2 through the rotatable turret top;

Fig. 7, a detail'view of a sample rod having a split end and a Wing blade gripped thereby;

Fig. 8, a sectionalview of my bushing element With the split end of a rod xed therein; and- Fig. 9, a. detail of a windmill assembly.

As previously stated the Tinker-toys comprised rods having split ends by which they were xed selectively in holes of uniform size provided in blocks of various shapes, by which combination of rods and blocks the said toys were assembled in iixed relation relatively to each other.

By my present invention some of the holes in said blocks, such as the central hole in disc-like hubs, are of larger bore than the other holes in the periphery in which the split rods are inserted and xed therein. In some assemblage of said building elements, the hubs are used as Wheels as in Fig. 1. In the toy exemplified in Fig. 1 these hubs l serve as Wheels and are preferably connected by bands 2 as shown. Said rods of standard size serve as axles 3 and the holes of largerdiameter in the center of the hub wheels allow the rotation of the latter thereon. The ends of the rods project through the Wheels and are inserted xedly in my bushing element t which in this case serves as a hub cap and guards the Wheels from slipping 01T of the axles. Said Wheels are maintained in proper relation by the middle blocks 5 5' at the front andrear end of a center rod E, the split ends of which are fixed invsaid center blocks as shown in Fig. 2. This rear center block E has the said axle rods -3 xed therein as indicated in Fig. l, and the said rods are aligned With each other on opposite sides of the center blocks at front and rear respectively, while the Wheels l rotate on them as on stationary axles.

As stated before the central holes in these disc blocks are larger than the holes in the periphery thereof and a turret is represented by a similar hub block 5a rotatably mounted upon a short split rod 3a the split end of which is xed in the large hole of the said block 5 by means of my bushing element which in this location is fixed in the center hole of the block 5 and holds the rod 3a as a xed pin or spindle for rotation ofthe l55 block 5a thereon. Other short split rods 3b are inserted in the holes in the periphery to represent guns inthe rotatable turret block 5a. The spindle rod 3a. is preferably pointed as shown in Fig. 2 but may be otherwise formed at its upper end.

A similar block 5a' is mounted on the front of said toy by a rod 3c passing loosely through the center holes of the blocks 5 and 5a', but having on its upper end my bushing element 4 which in turn fits snugly in the topmost block 5b so that said spindle rod 3c is fixed relatively to the upper block 5b but is rotatable in the large center holes of the blocks 5 and 5a', and is supported by the bushingflange and thus represents a higher turret top with its projecting gun indicated by the rod 3d projecting therefrom towards the front, and thus rotatable to shoot over the rear turret.

Thus the said rod 3c serving as a spindle is rotatably mounted-in the two lower blocks, but is relatively fixed and rotates with the upper block 5b representing the turret top. In this lattery assembly the spindle rod 3c is rotatable while in the prior assembly for the rear turret top, the spindle 3a is relatively fixed and is stationary in the said top 5a. In both cases however such rotatability is obtained by the use of my bushing element as before described.

Referring again to said bushing element designated by# in Fig. l and Fig. 4, one end is open and provided with an annular or other flange portion 'l while the opposite end 8 is closed like a cup shape. Such bushing isf thus adapted for a hub` cap as indicated in Fig. 1.

In another form il', the end opposite'the ange 'i' is open as shown. in Fig. 3, and allows the split end of a rod tofpass more or less through said bushing element as shown in the rear of the truck where 3a projects through the open end of a bushingelement il. The flange shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is to facilitate removal of the bushing element from the hole in which it was inserted. The front end spindle 3c is shown with a bushing element having a closed end. If preferred said spindle 3c may be inserted in a bushing element d as shown in-Fig. 8.

This bushing is integrally cylindrical and formed in one piece with the annular ange on its outer end. It is non-resilient and is secured by frictional engagement of its outer circumference with the larger holes as selected, and by frictional compressive engagement of its inner circumference with the selected split ends of the wooden rods.

The said split end of a rod as shown in Fig. '7 is of uniform diameter until the split end portions are compressed by being inserted in one of the small holes, or in the inner hole of similar diameter of either form of bushing 4 or 4.

This bushing is preferably made of brass or other thin metal which can be swaged by lateral pressure and distorted in the cylindrical portion so that the diameter is enlarged in one direction and thus caused to lt more snugly in one of the larger holes which for instance may be swelled so that the cylindrical shape of the bushing element does not make its usual tight t therein. Such distorted bushing is not intended for use except in emergencies as the normal external diameter of my bushing element will cause it to fit snugly in the larger central holes as selected for the desired assembly of toy.

I have shown and described one toy assembly of said building elements including my bushing elements, but it is evident that many different combinations of said elements may be made and many designs of toys be formed. The split ends of the connecting rod are compressible substantially the same amount when inserted in the selected smaller holes of the block, as they are when inserted in the substantially same internal diameter of my bushing elements, and the rod dlameter is of a size intermediate of said larger holes and said smaller holes. The rod is thus fixably inserted in either the bushing elements or in said smaller holes as selected, and can also loosely engage the selected larger hole of a block for relative rotation thereon of said block.

In Fig. 9, I show part of a windmill assembly, in which a circular block I with peripheral holes is loosely and rotatably mounted on a. rod 3' similar to the truck wheels of Figs. 1 and 2. Rods 3d of uniform diameter and length,and split at both ends, are fixedly inserted radially in the .peripheral holes like spokes, and wing blades of sheet material 9 are inserted in thesplits and being thicker than the split openings, they spring them outward as indicated in Fig. 7, and are grippingly engaged thereby. A set of such spokes inserted in the peripheral radial holes (see Fig. 6) in a'rotatable block and having wing blades gripped by their outer ends, form the rotary part of a windmill toy. The center rod shaft 3 may have its split end xed in a supporting block (like rod B in block 5), and its other end preferably has a bushing element iixed thereon like 4' on 3a, Fig. 2, and may x this end in another supporting block like 3a is xed in block 5, Fig. 2.

Hence as above described it will be seen that by my bushing element I am enabled to amplify the number of toys made from such prior elements as the Tinker toys in which blocks and rods were relatively xed, so that by effecting selective relative rotation of said blocks and rods, a larger and more attractive set of toys can be assembled than was possible in the prior construction. In both examples, the annular flange at the outer end of the bushing separates the adjacent blocks and serves as a bearing for the rotary block in contact therewith. Such increase bination with old elements, produces the new and improved results above described.

Having thus fully described my'invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Toy building elements having in combination, a rotary element comprising a circular block having a center hole and multiple spaced peripheral holes of smaller size, multiple rods of a diameter smaller than said center hole for rotatably mounting said block as on an axle and larger than said peripheral holes and having split spring ends compressibly insertable in said peripheral holes by one end, sheet material wing blades thicker than the split openings and grippingly insertable therein, and a ilanged bushing guarding said block compressibly engaging a split end of the axle rod, substantially as described.

WALTER R. BENJAMIN. 

